April 23, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. - Drivers Kaley Dodson and Kiley Neushul helped top-ranked Stanford claim a sweep of the MPSF weekly honors, being named KAP 7 Player and Newcomer of the Week, respectively.
For Dodson Monday's announcement marked the first MPSF Player of the Week honor of her career. Neushul has now claimed five MPSF weekly honors, being named newcomer of the week for the fourth time this season and also having a player of the week honor from last Monday.
The pair helped lead Stanford (21-1, 7-0 MPSF) to an 8-1 victory Saturday at No. 2 UCLA, clinching for the Cardinal the top seed at this weekend's MPSF Championship. Stanford hosts the event at Avery Aquatic Center this Friday through Sunday, April 27-29.
Stanford takes on eighth-seeded Hawai'i in the tournament opener at 11 a.m. Friday morning.
In Saturday's regular-season finale, Dodson and Neushul combined for five of Stanford's eight goals. Dodson scored twice, including two of the team's first four goals as the Cardinal got out to a 4-1 lead over the opening 8:46. She also made a pair of field blocks as part of a fine defensive effort that held the Bruins to just one goal, a season-low for Cardinal opponents in 2012.
Neushul netted a hat trick with three goals. The Goleta native scored the Cardinal's third goal of the first period, then set the tone for the second half, scoring the first of Stanford's four third-period goals just 18 seconds into the frame. That period helped the Cardinal blow the game open, turning a 4-1 advantage to an 8-1 lead that held the rest of the way.